Welcome to the UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs. Mir live results and play-by-play post, where we’ll delve into such questions as “Why is Frank Mir headlining a UFC event while riding a four-fight losing streak?” and “Oh man, who are these Brazilian B-level fighters?” That’s right, it’s another Fight Night event that could very well be a regional show with little to no impact on what happens on the international stage – but it’s not! It’s UFC-branded content! So sit back, relax, and wonder along with me while we watch these fights go down.

Round 1: No way am I constantly spelling “Ponzinibbio” over and over again, so hereafter he’s just Santiago. Okay? The bout starts with Santiago taking control of the center of the cage, stalking the American down and landing a decent right hand that lets Strickland know he better keep his guard up. Strickland eats a left after that, and nails a takedown that has Santiago wall-walking back upright after just a second or two. They resume slugging – Strickland with a constant jab in Santiago’s face, and Santiago with a variety of strong kicks and punches – and after three and a half minutes the Argentinean is banging away. With 15 seconds left in the round Santiago hits a double-leg, and the horn sounds with him on top.

Round 2: Santiago ratchets up the punishment on Strickland’s lead leg, forcing Strickland to get more aggressive lest he stand there and become a human punching bag. To deal with his foe’s superior reach, Santiago gets relentless with his overhand rights, and that provides another wrinkle that Strickland has to deal with. The round ends with Santiago clocking him hard and Strickland probably wishing he’d lost his passport and stayed in the States.

Round 3: Sick of his jab failing to keep Santiago at bay, Strickland switches into wrestle-mode and manages to get his opponent down with a takedown. Unfortunately for him, Santiago is still the boss of getting back up quickly, and he resumes chipping away at the taller American with kicks and punches. Their output wanes as time passes though, and aside from some sudden flurries by Santiago, they end the bout with a lot of dancing.

Round 1: Saenz comes into the bout a heavy underdog, so he wastes no time showing the dangerous Brazilian his ace card by scoring a takedown 25 seconds in. Alcantara gets back up, and after making some distance, begins to utilize kicks to inflict damage. With a minute left in the round Alcantara gets a takedown of his own, but when he attempts to take the American’s back he rides too high – a fact that enables Saenz to shake him off, take top position, and inflict a little ground-and-pound lovin’.

Round 2: Alcantara begins the frame landing a big left kick to the head that Saenz inexplicably shakes off. The Brazilian then shoots for a takedown that is easily dodged, and when he turtles Saenz repeatedly knees him in the ribs and peppers him with fists to the dome. Eventually Alcantara rolls into a heelhook attempt, but the American escapes, nestles into Alcantara’s guard, and while dodging armbars, resumes his ground and pound. Saenz lets him up after a bit, and the round ends with Alcantara scoring on the feet.

Round 3: Saenz continues to defy the odds by imposing his wrestling will – first by smooshing Alcantara against the cage, then by hitting the double-leg and racking up points dropping knuckles on Alcantara’s head. More battling against the cage ensues, with Saenz blasting away with knees to the Brazilian’s body and thighs. With 40 seconds to go, Alcantara nails a takedown of his own, and he briefly takes mount and then back-mount. The American shimmies out of danger, and the horn sounds with him hammerfisting a turtled Alcantara.

Result: Frankie Saenz def. Iuri Alcantara via Unanimous Decision

-Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins

Round 1: The first two and a half minutes of the fight is spent in a maddening dance of tentativeness mixed with feints and near-miss punches, but then Martins shoots for a takedown and Khabilov is suddenly fighting to not get submitted. The Dagestani escapes after a furious 45 seconds, and then they reset and Khabilov attempts to make up for lost points by exploding into strikes that Martins proves too elusive to get caught with.

Round 2: Ever see a traditional kung fu demonstration where the martial artists go back and forth throwing flashy techniques at each other that look cool but never land? Yeah, that’s what happens here, with both men seemingly having way too much respect for the other to commit to something serious. After about three and a half minutes Martins gets a takedown that keeps Khabilov down for about one second, and Khabilov shoots for a takedown that’s stuffed. In terms of strikes that do land, Khabilov is racking up the points, but Martins lands a left that stumbles him in the final seconds of the round, so who knows what the scorecards will read.

Round 3: Martins keeps eating punches, so he mixes things up and takes Khabilov down, working from the Dagestani’s half-guard until he finds mount. Khabilov escapes and gets back to his feet, and he spends the rest of the round stalking and throwing leather while Martins stumbles out of the way. Martins scores one more takedown, but is it enough to convince the judges? Beats me.

Result: Adriano Martins def. Rustam Khabilov via Split Decision

-Cezar Ferreira vs. Sam Alvey

Round 1: Ferreira is one long dude, and he proves this by throwing about 50 kicks from all directions while Alvey grins and blocks them. However, for the first three minutes, Alvey throws all of two punches (and they miss), so you start to wonder what the hell his plan is. Well, his plan is to throw one KO punch, and he does it, uncorking a left hook like a fine wine kept in the cellar. The Brazilian drops like a felled tree, and that’s it.

Result: Sam Alvey def. Cezar Ferreira via KO (Punch) at 3:34, R1

-Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson

Round 1: It takes Barboza approximately six seconds to start landing kicks, and it takes Johnson about eight seconds to turn on the aggressive boxing game, so the odds of this one going the distance decrease dramatically. Over and over again the Brazilian fires off kicks to the American’s neck that Johnson blocks. And while he does manage to plant a few knees to the body as Johnson charges in, Barboza is eating leather repeatedly. The output of Johnson alone is something to behold.

Round 2: Barboza’s kicks to the body are now getting through, which only serves to encourage Johnson to keep pursuing. The Brazilian lets his hands go more in the boxing exchanges, and does succeed in stumbling his opponent, but Johnson keeps plugging away with four-punch combos, and eventually Barboza is shooting for – and failing to get – a takedown. The round ends with the American looking strong and the Brazilian looking spent.

Round 3: For the first two and a half minutes Barboza appears to have his timing and distance down perfectly, and is out-landing Johnson with his lightning-like kicks and punches. He tires though, and Johnson resumes touching his face. With 22 seconds in the round, Johnson nails the double-leg takedown, and the horns sounds with Barboza on his back.

Result: Michael Johnson def. Edson Barboza via Unanimous Decision

-Frank Mir vs. Antonio Silva

Round 1: Mir lumbers forward and Bigfoot lumbers backwards, and Mir pops him with a few punches that couldn’t really be described as quick. But when it seems like the Brazilian isn’t ready to commence his own offense, Mir fires off a left hook immediately after one of his jabs, and Silva crumples. The former champ follows up with a few punches while standing over the fallen fighter, and the ref jumps in.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/ufc-fight-night-bigfoot-vs-mir-pbp/feed/1UFC on FOX 14 Live Results and Play by Playhttp://fightlinker.com/ufc-on-fox-14-live-results-and-play-by-play/
http://fightlinker.com/ufc-on-fox-14-live-results-and-play-by-play/#commentsSun, 25 Jan 2015 00:56:10 +0000http://fightlinker.com/ufc-on-fox-14-live-results-and-play-by-play/Another weekend, another installment of UFC action – this one coming from Stockholm, Sweden and airing on the main FOX channel itself. The main event: a top light-heavyweight contender scuffle between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, with the winner presumably earning a crack at champ Jon Jones somewhere down the line. Scrappy stalwarts Dan […]

Another weekend, another installment of UFC action – this one coming from Stockholm, Sweden and airing on the main FOX channel itself. The main event: a top light-heavyweight contender scuffle between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, with the winner presumably earning a crack at champ Jon Jones somewhere down the line. Scrappy stalwarts Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi are featured in the co-main event, and elsewhere on the main card Ryan Bader and Phil Davis are probably going to compare wrestling moves.

So sit back and relax on this Saturday night, because here’s your live results and play by play.

Round 1: It takes about 40 seconds for Sicilia to cut the cage off enough to keep Corassani from dancing out of punching range, and when he does the two swing wild and hard. Neither man lands anything major though, but the pattern is set: dance, wade in, and fire, dance, wade in, fire. Since Corassani’s boxing defense is piss-poor, this works to Sicilia’s favor, and in no time he sneaks in a right hand as Corassani is backing away and puts his opponent out.

Result: Sam Sicilia def. Akira Corassani via KO (Punch) at 3:26, R1

-Ryan Bader vs. Phil Davis

Round 1: Just as two well-credentialed wrestlers are wont to do when they meet in the cage, Bader and Davis devote the vast majority of their time trying to strike – Bader looking to land a heavy right, Davis looking to jab and kick open a whole in his foe’s defenses. That’s the story of Round 1, with only occasional flashes of clinch work to break up the monotony.

Round 2: Davis goes hard with a takedown attempt about a minute into the second round, but after a brief sequence against the cage Bader breaks the clinch with an elbow to his temple. That doesn’t discourage Davis from going for the tie-up again and again however, and he finds success at getting Bader down when Bader flubs throw. Time runs out in the round with Davis pressing him up against the fence.

Round 3: No matter how much his boxing has progressed over the years, Davis still gets a bit gun-shy when bullets are flying, as evidenced by how much he overreacts whenever Bader throws leather. This translates into a lot of desperate takedown attempts that are stuffed, and a huffing and puffing Bader able to ward off much of Davis’ attacks by swinging at the air. Davis does score with kicks though, with a bunch of them nearly buckling the TUF winner’s leg. The bout ends with Bader dumping Davis to the canvas and the two scrambling.

Result: Ryan Bader def. Phil Davis via Split Decision

-Dan Henderson vs. Gegard Mousasi

Round 1: Taller, rangier and possessing kickboxing for days, Mousasi of course wants to keep Henderson at distance, where he can use precision strikes to separate “Hendo” from his consciousness. Henderson wants the exact opposite – to get in close and land a bomb -but he gets dropped with a right while coming in, and the dazed look on his face is enough for referee Leon Roberts to step in. It is, unfortunately, a questionable stoppage, as it seemed like Henderson was only momentarily stunned. Oh well.

Round 1: Gustafsson and Johnson spend about half a second feeling each other out, then go to work. For the Swede, that means chipping away with kicks at distance, jabs at angles, and tons of movement; for “Rumble”, that means concrete hands and high-kicks that herd his opponent into the kill zone. After a brief pause for an accidental eyepoke, Johnson goes into “kill mode” and rocks Gustafsson with a right. Gustafsson stumbles, seems to recover enough to fire back, and eats more kicks and punches. When he falls to all fours, Johnson stays on him, and pounds him relentlessly until the ref steps in.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/ufc-on-fox-14-live-results-and-play-by-play/feed/1TUF 20 Finale PBP and Resultshttp://fightlinker.com/tuf-20-finale-pbp-and-results/
http://fightlinker.com/tuf-20-finale-pbp-and-results/#commentsSat, 13 Dec 2014 01:59:16 +0000http://fightlinker.com/tuf-20-finale-pbp-and-results/Welcome to the TUF 20 Finale play-by-play and results post for the main card – where men are men and girls HAVE TAKEN OVER THE OCTAGON. Tonight, the first-ever UFC strawweight title will be awarded to either Carla Esparza or Rose Namajunas, who both cut through the lesser denizens of the TUF House like a hot […]

Welcome to the TUF 20 Finale play-by-play and results post for the main card – where men are men and girls HAVE TAKEN OVER THE OCTAGON. Tonight, the first-ever UFC strawweight title will be awarded to either Carla Esparza or Rose Namajunas, who both cut through the lesser denizens of the TUF House like a hot knife goes through butter.

So stay tuned, and keep hitting “refresh”, ’cause we’re about to take off.

Prelim results – UFC Fight Pass

Angela Hill def. Emily Kagan via Unanimous Decision

Aisling Daly def. Alex Chambers via Submission (Armbar) at 4:53, R1

Prelim results – FOX Sports 1

Tecia Torres def. Angela Magan via Unanimous Decision

Joanne Calderwood def. Seo Hee Ham via Unanimous Decision

Heather Jo Clark def. Bec Rawlings via Unanimous Decision

Felice Herrig def. Lisa Ellis via Submission (Armbar) at 3:05, R2

Main card results – FOX Sports 1

-Randa Markos vs. Jessica Penne

Round 1: It takes all of 20 seconds for these two ladies to tie up and for Penne to absolutely send Markos flying with a sweet hip toss. The veteran fighter takes top position, but it ain’t easy for her as Markos reverses and scrambles like a girl possessed. By the time Penne settles into mount, the Iraqi-born fighter is cut and bleeding near her eye, yet she remains undaunted and escapes again. From below Penne traps her in a triangle choke, and after Markos weathers the storm she’s caught once more on bottom. Great round for both ladies.

Round 2: They trade strikes for about a minute before Markos catches a kick and dumps her opponent on her butt. Penne gets back to her feet in a flash, and the ensuing standup contest sees Penne chasing Markos down and Markos clocking her repeatedly with hard counter-hooks. Another caught kick has Penne going down, but she instantly grabs Markos’ ankles and sweeps her. They scramble, with Markos taking mount briefly and Penne eventually settling on top. Another solid round for both, making a really tough job for the judges.

Round 3: Two spinning backfists, a spinning back-kick, chopping inside-kicks and uppercuts – Markos comes out bringing the hurt, forcing Penne to shoot for a double-leg and take the battle to the canvas midway through the round. There she delivers some payback, ground and pounding from top position, threatening with a choke when Markos gives her back, and spinning around to nullify all attempts at escape. Markos is still pretty crafty, slapping an inverted triangle on her, but the round ends before anything can be finished.

Result: Jessica Penne def. Randa Markos via Split Decision

-Yancy Medeiros vs. Joe Proctor

Round 1: Proctor wastes no time establishing a chopping low-kick as his “go to” move, while Medeiros blends a spinning back-kick with a lunging jab. It’s Medeiros who draw figurative blood first though, wobble his foe with a right hand that Proctor has to shake off. He does, but Medeiros blasts him with another spin kick to the body – this one dropping him against the cage. The following seconds see Medeiros snatching up the guillotine and squeezing, and Proctor tapping in the waning seconds of the round.

Round 1: The Cruickshank we’ve seen of late has been one heck of a dynamic striker, and brings that arsenal early and often right out of the gate. Noons gets after him, but inadvertently pokes Cruickshank in the eye, prompting a brief respite. They restart, and the TUF vet gets his hands on the Strikeforce vet and throws him around a bit. Furious scrambling has them back upright, where Noons attempts to tame the beast with his boxing, stringing together combos whenever he steps into range. Cruickshank gets the takedown in the final seconds, undoubtedly scoring points.

Round 2: Noons immediately (and presumably accidentally) pokes Cruickshank in the eye yet again, this time leaving it bloody. The subsequent inspection by the doctor has Cruickshank admitting he can’t see out of it, and that’s all she wrote. A disappointing ending to a good fight.

Result: NO CONTEST due to unintentional foul

-Charles Oliveira vs. Jeremy Stephens

Round 1: It’s almost inexplicable how Oliveira does it, but he when he wants to work subs on the ground, you’re soon defending subs on the ground. Such is the case with Stephens, who counters the Brazilian’s tie-up by throwing him to the canvas. About two seconds later Oliveira has swiveled into an armbar attempts from the guard, and for the next two and a half minutes the American is stuck patiently defending it. He eventually escapes, and after a short while they’re back on the feet, working their respective striking games.

Round 2: Oliveira lumbers forward, careful to stay either too far or too close for Stephens’ power punches, and nails the takedown. From there he works methodically into spider guard and leans back into an armbar from which there can be no escape – AND STEPHENS ESCAPES. Still, the submission onslaught continues, with Oliveira getting his back, hunting for a choke, then sliding into another armbar. But Stephens gets out of it, and the bells sounds with the American pounding away.

Round 3: Within 45 seconds it’s on the ground, yet Stephens avoids trouble and trading exhaustion-colored kicks and punches. Time and time again Oliveira’s shots are stuffed and he’s left gesturing for Stephens to willingly step into his guard. Stephens for the most part doesn’t take the bait, although as time expires he’s working ground and pound from above.

Result: Charles Oliveira def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision

-Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas

Round 1: Rose sprints across the cage and takes the center of the Octagon, where she begins to throw a furious sequence of kicks and punches. But Esparza catches a foot and throws her down, and for about four seconds unleashes some fury. They’re back on the feet just as quickly, and the two dance in and out throwing pretty much everything at each other. Three times Esparza is successful with takedowns – an advantage that doesn’t bode well for Rose’s chances.

Round 2: The takedown comes just after a minute has passed, and Esparza makes it count with a good battering. When Rose gets up she shoots for a takedown of her own Esparza turns her over and resumes her bombing run, and with about 20 seconds left she’s in mount, landing punch after punch. The horn sounds with Rose struggling to survive.

Round 3: Esparza needs only 11 seconds to get her foe down in this round, and she eases into back-mount before a minute has passed. Soon Rose is defending the choke, and moments later she’s tapping. Carla Esparza is your inaugural UFC 115-pound female champ.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/ufc-fight-night-45-chat-another-mid-week-ufc/feed/0WSOF and UFC 175 Chat – What Else Are You Going to Do?http://fightlinker.com/wsof-ufc-175-chat-else-going/
http://fightlinker.com/wsof-ufc-175-chat-else-going/#commentsSat, 05 Jul 2014 20:00:33 +0000http://fightlinker.com/?p=534825The post WSOF and UFC 175 Chat – What Else Are You Going to Do? appeared first on Fightlinker.com.]]>

]]>http://fightlinker.com/wsof-ufc-175-chat-else-going/feed/0Big Nog Just Totally Falling Aparthttp://fightlinker.com/big-nog-just-totally-falling-apart/
http://fightlinker.com/big-nog-just-totally-falling-apart/#commentsWed, 18 Jun 2014 14:00:00 +0000http://fightlinker.com/big-nog-just-totally-falling-apart/Beloved Brazilian legend Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has had surgery to repair a damaged ACL and will be out for at least six months, according to a report by the Brazilian news outlet Combate. (Translated from Portuguese using Google Translate:) The fighter Rodrigo Nogueira went on Tuesday for surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in […]

Beloved Brazilian legend Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has had surgery to repair a damaged ACL and will be out for at least six months, according to a report by the Brazilian news outlet Combate.

(Translated from Portuguese using Google Translate:)

The fighter Rodrigo Nogueira went on Tuesday for surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, in Rio de Janeiro. The procedure was led by Dr. Marco Aurélio Sousa, and medical director of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission, Márcio Tannure, watched. Heavyweight Bahia expects rehabilitation within six months.

The reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament was successfully performed, along with Dr. Marco Aurélio Sousa. The time now is wait for physical therapy and functional rehabilitation. Hope to see you again in the octagon soon as possible – said Tannure.

Minotauro also had partial tear in the lateral collateral ligament, but this need not be repaired.

“Big Nog” has been riding out the tail-end of his career in rough fashion. In his last eight fights, he’s lost five – some by crushing KO, and one via a nasty arm break at the hands of Frank Mir. Having an ACL repaired definitely isn’t a sign that there’s more mileage left in him.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/big-nog-just-totally-falling-apart/feed/0Wanderlei Silva Faces the Musichttp://fightlinker.com/wanderlei-silva-faces-the-music/
http://fightlinker.com/wanderlei-silva-faces-the-music/#commentsWed, 18 Jun 2014 11:00:00 +0000http://fightlinker.com/wanderlei-silva-faces-the-music/The Nevada State Athletic Commission met yesterday to discuss a litany of issues, and one item on the agenda concerned PRIDE FC and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva – specifically, his fleeing of a surprise drug test on May 24. As we all know, Silva greeted the commission rep sent to collect a urine sample at […]

The Nevada State Athletic Commission met yesterday to discuss a litany of issues, and one item on the agenda concerned PRIDE FC and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva – specifically, his fleeing of a surprise drug test on May 24. As we all know, Silva greeted the commission rep sent to collect a urine sample at his gym, then promptly disappeared out of the back door. What did “The Axe Murderer” have to say for himself?

Seaking through his lawyer, Wanderlei Silva stated at Tuesday’s Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) meeting that the reason he refused to undergo a random NAC sanctioned drug test on May 24 is because he was concerned that the test would show the presence of diuretics in his system, which he claims he began taking along with anti-inflammatories prescribed by a UFC doctor in order to help him recover from a fractured right wrist he suffered in February while coaching The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.

Diuretics are generally used to flush the body of its water. However, they’re also used as… *cue dramatic music* …a masking agent to hide the presence of other things in a person’s system.

“He was taking diuretics for the sole purpose of minimizing the inflammation, to decrease the water retention. He now realized that he should have submitted to the drug test. He was surprised. It was the first time in his career where something like this (happened), out of competition, somebody showed up at his gym. That doesn’t negate or minimize what Mr. Silva did. He’s here to apologize to the commission, and he was concerned that the diuretics would show up on his sample.”

The Nevada commission also got to hear accounts of what transpired on May 24. The details paint an amusing picture.

Silva’s admission followed a detailed timeline of events laid out by NAC Executive Director Bob Bennett, as well as the independent representative who attempted to collect Silva’s blood and urine sample on May 24 in advance of Silva’s scheduled bout against Chael Sonnen at UFC 175.

The collector stated that he arrived at Silva’s gym during the mid-afternoon and personally introduced himself to the fighter, explaining that he was there on request of the NAC and required a blood and urine sample, to which Silva replied in acknowledgement. Silva subsequently requested to speak to his manager/trainer, who was present at the gym, then briefly walked into an office in the middle of the gym before exiting quickly.

“[Silva] walked back to the front counter,” the collector recalled. “And then walked past the office towards the back of the gym, and then went around the corner to the right. I casually followed behind him. When I turned around the corner, I realized there was an exit there and a bathroom. I didn’t see him anywhere.”

Silva’s wife subsequently called the gym’s phone and informed the collector that “they were not expecting the blood and urine test, and needed to do it later.” After being informed that the test needed to be completed immediately, Silva’s wife contacted Bennett and told the executive director that Silva would now “cooperate” with the collector, although she did not know where Silva presently was.

Silva did not respond to subsequent texts and calls from either the collector or Bennett, which led to Bennett contacting UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner and explaining the situation.

It is pretty much a given that Silva will face some sort of punishment. As to what exactly, that will be determined at a hearing at a later date.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/wanderlei-silva-faces-the-music/feed/0Arlovski Kicks John Dodson Down a Wellhttp://fightlinker.com/arlovski-kicks-john-dodson-down-a-well/
http://fightlinker.com/arlovski-kicks-john-dodson-down-a-well/#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2014 16:44:02 +0000http://fightlinker.com/arlovski-kicks-john-dodson-down-a-well/They train hard at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, N.M., honing the crafts of champions and top contenders alike. They also reenact famous scenes from movies. Take the below video as an example. In it, former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski pretends to be King Leonidas from the film “300”, and kicks micro-fighter John Dodson […]

They train hard at Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, N.M., honing the crafts of champions and top contenders alike.

They also reenact famous scenes from movies. Take the below video as an example. In it, former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski pretends to be King Leonidas from the film “300”, and kicks micro-fighter John Dodson down an imaginary well. (Was Dodson an emissary from the great Persian army? We may never know now.)

It is about the level of goofiness you get when you put together a group of guys adept at causing other humans a great deal of harm. In other words, it is very goofy.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/arlovski-kicks-john-dodson-down-a-well/feed/0Crazy Rumor of the Day: Kimbo Slice to Bellatorhttp://fightlinker.com/crazy-rumor-of-the-day-kimbo-slice-to-bellator/
http://fightlinker.com/crazy-rumor-of-the-day-kimbo-slice-to-bellator/#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2014 11:00:00 +0000http://fightlinker.com/crazy-rumor-of-the-day-kimbo-slice-to-bellator/There’s a rumor floating around the MMA media ether, and as rumors go, this one is a doozy. Middle Easy was the first to speak of it yesterday. Woah, Kimbo Slice signed with Bellator? That’s the rumor at least. — MiddleEasy (@MiddleEasy) June 16, 2014 Let that sink in for a moment. Yeah, that’s right, […]

Yeah, that’s right, Kimbo Slice – the MOST popular MMA fighter of all time. The backyard brawler turned MMA star upon which whose shoulders EliteXC stood (and eventually stood no longer). The beloved slugger who garnered over three million viewers for the pre-recorded episode of The Ultimate Fighter in which he fought on. The man who headlined the first MMA show to ever air on network television.

Yes, that guy.

Kimbo was last seen in the Octagon back in 2010, losing via TKO to Matt Mitrione. He hasn’t been completely stagnant, though; the 40-year old has been boxing, winning his last bout back in January of 2013.

Why would Bellator want him? I mean, Kimbo would pose almost no threat to any legitimate heavyweight out there. The answer to that question is simple: MONSTER RATINGS. Of all the fighters on the planet, no one draws them in like he does. No one.

Looks like we’re going to have to wait and see if this rumor pans out.

]]>http://fightlinker.com/crazy-rumor-of-the-day-kimbo-slice-to-bellator/feed/0What UFC 174 Taught Ushttp://fightlinker.com/what-ufc-174-taught-us/
http://fightlinker.com/what-ufc-174-taught-us/#commentsMon, 16 Jun 2014 15:00:30 +0000http://fightlinker.com/what-ufc-174-taught-us/Saturday night’s UFC 174 – which saw flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson deliver a sound drubbing to challenger Ali Bagautinov for five whole rounds – was very educational for those of us watching. For instance, who knew that a former UFC champ who’d been away from the Octagon for over six years was going to suck? […]

Saturday night’s UFC 174 – which saw flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson deliver a sound drubbing to challenger Ali Bagautinov for five whole rounds – was very educational for those of us watching. For instance, who knew that a former UFC champ who’d been away from the Octagon for over six years was going to suck? Here then are some important lessons learned from watching UFC 174.

1. Andrei Arlovski got old. Which is, uh, somewhat expected for a human being constrained by the natural course of time and age. Yes, he’s still popular – did you hear how the crowd popped for his appearance? But Arlovski has been around for a long time and wears that mileage like a discarded car tire around his neck, so when he squared off against Brendan Schaub (who isn’t exactly Mr. Excitement himself), we got to witness some serious lackluster-ness go down in the cage.

The lesson: The UFC needs to stop bringing back these old veterans if they’re going to suck, or at least stop putting them on the main card.

2. Demetrious Johnson needs to finish fights. I mean, duh, right? Everyone should strive to finish fights. But “Mighty Mouse” really, REALLY needs to finish them. He’s already established his dominance in the division, and already proven that he has the skills to be considered one of the pound-for-pound best. However, since his sudden and violent dispatching of Joe Benavidez, he’s teetering on the cusp of superstardom, and to push him over the edge and into the pantheon of Great and Exciting Fighters, he must keep cutting that swath of destruction. Sure, he clobbered Bagautinov, but when fans in the arena start heading to the exits before the fifth round even begins…

3. You can’t tell Ovince St. Preux that your arm is broken. He will just yank it.

The lesson: OSP is a mean bastard.

4. Rory MacDonald is a badass when he wants to be. He made Tyron Woodley look like he belonged back on Strikeforce Challengers cards, facing scrubs. MacDonald even out-wrestled Woodley, which is a feat unto itself. Yikes.

The lesson: It might be time to reconsider MacDonald’s title prospects.

5. Ryan Bader is also a badass when he wants to be. No, the TUF winner will never get within spitting distance of the belt, but as he showed against Rafael Cavalcante, there are times when his engine is firing on all cylinders and he does everything right.